The General and the Sergeant: Confreres in Haiti

By JOSEPH B. TREASTER, Special to the New York Times

Published: October 3, 1988

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Oct. 2—
Since the coup in Haiti two weeks ago, the new President, Lieut. Gen. Prosper Avril, and Sgt. Joseph Hebreux have been sharing an office in the presidential palace, jointly greeting visitors and attending meetings.

It seems clear today, from the words and actions of the general and the sergeant, that they are not sharing power.

But there is a cordiality and mutual respect between the 50-year-old general and the 27-year-old sergeant that seem to reflect not only their personalities, but also the delicate balance of power in the new Government and the curious way in which General Avril came to the presidency.

Though some Haitians and foreign diplomats still find it difficult to believe, both General Avril and Sergeant Hebreux say the sergeant and a group of other noncommissioned officers took the initiative in a coup on Sept. 17 in which Lieut. Gen. Henri Namphy was overthrown. Sergeant Announced President

A few hours later, at 2 A.M. on Sept. 18, Sergeant Hebreux, in steel helmet and battle fatigues, stood before a national television camera in the presidential palace, with other noncommissioned officers pressing close to him, to announce the group's choice as Haiti's new leader: General Avril, a master of palace intrigue and a principal adviser to the Duvalier dictators, who ran Haiti for nearly 30 years.

The next day, an unidentified participant in the coup said in an interview with the Roman Catholic station Radio Soleil that Sergeant Hebreux had been the soldiers' first choice as President.

But Sergeant Hebreux ''was afraid of the job,'' the participant was quoted as saying. ''That's why he was not President of the country. Finally, we took our chance with Avril.''

The soldiers issued a list of about 20 changes that they wanted for the country, and General Avril indicated in an interview Thursday that he had adopted the list as a guide for his Government, including the disarming of the thugs known as Tontons Macoute, a transition to democratic rule and many improvements in living conditions for civilians and soldiers.

Sitting with the sergeant, four reporters and several senior Government officials at a table beside the swimming pool of his elegant home in the cool hills above the capital, General Avril described Sergeant Hebreux, who has been an army medic for eight years, as his adviser, as an intermediary with Haiti's noncommissioned and junior officers and as a spokesman for the lower-ranking soldiers. Sat Quietly at Interview

For most of a 80-minute interview, Sergeant Hebreux, who has two years of college and speaks French and some English besides Haitian Creole, sat quietly as General Avril answered questions.

When the sergeant, a slightly built man, was asked to explain his role in the Government, he spoke in generalities about the problems of the impoverished country. At one point he said, ''The opinions expressed by the general are also my opinions.''

Eventually, General Avril, who has a law degree and trained at Navy and Marine Corps installations in the United States, explained how the sergeant operates.

Since the coup, the general said, a group of about 30 noncommissioned and junior officers known as the liaison committee has been meeting in the presidential palace.

''They give ideas to the sergeant,'' General Avril said. ''He passes them on to me, and I give an answer. If the idea is good, it is retained; if it is not good, it is not retained. And the sergeant gives back the answer, whether it is positive or negative.''

General Avril said there had been instances when the committee had overridden him. But he said: ''Generally speaking they accept what I say, they accept my decision. My decision is the final point.'' 'Moderate, Very Intelligent'

The general said Sergeant Hebreux, who carried a briefcase in one hand on Thursday and two sets of files in the other, was ''a very moderate noncommissioned officer, very intelligent.''

Haitian political leaders who have met the sergeant say they agree that he is intelligent and exhibits a logical mind and a lot of common sense.

Sergeant Hebreux comes from a poor family. ''He has been brought up in the belly of the masses,'' said General Avril, who is believed to have accumulated considerable wealth during his military career. ''He is my adviser on enlisted men's problems and for poor people in general. He's a very good adviser who knows things that I myself do not know.''

Some Haitian political leaders say they believe that Sergeant Hebreux and the other noncommissioned and junior officers are exerting considerable influence on General Avril. Others, however, believe the general is using the lower-ranking soldiers as a buffer in carrying out his own policies.

''When you have a problem with his decisions,'' a political leader said, ''he can tell you it's what the little soldiers want.''